Senate Passes Resolution to End Governor’s Emergency Declaration

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HARRISBURG – The Senate, in a bipartisan vote of 31-19, passed House Resolution 836 to terminate the Governor’s COVID-19 disaster declaration.  Senator David G. Argall, a prime sponsor of similar legislation, spoke in support of this legislation on the floor of the Senate.  The bill was passed for a final time by the House of Representatives late last night.

Senator Argall cited the Declaration of Independence in his remarks, specifically that governments derive their powers from the “consent of the governed.”  “The people we represent did not consent to one man’s orders to remain locked up in their homes, limited to government handouts,” stated Argall. “We all heard from many people who wanted to safely begin to return to work, small businesses wanting to reopen, just like their big business competitors down the street.  And we’ve listened carefully to medical experts throughout this terrible experience.”

“In the past few weeks, many of us, and our constituents, have said the same thing, based on our experiences during this pandemic:  The Governor is not a thug.  He’s not a dictator.  He’s a Governor, he’s not a King,” said Argall.

House Resolution 836 would end the executive order Governor Wolf used to shut down employees and employers, which was issued on March 6 and renewed on June 3. The governor has used the emergency declaration to change and suspend state laws, spend state and federal taxpayer dollars without the approval of the General Assembly and prevent shuttered businesses from reopening with new safety measures in place.

Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, the General Assembly has the authority to terminate a state of disaster emergency at any time by Concurrent Resolution. 

Contact: Christine Verdier

570-773-0891

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